Be the Helpers: Food Fridays with Alderwoman Karma O’Neill

Be the Helpers: Food Fridays with Alderwoman Karma O’Neill

When Alderwoman Karma O’Neill was asked to take charge of the Food Friday program during the pandemic, she had a simple plan: help people and give them what they need. Though she was not an elected official at the time, she saw a need in her community and she wanted to help.

“I’ve always been a person who, if I didn’t like the way something was being done, I would do something about it. I’ve always been a helper,” O’Neill notes. Alderwoman O’Neill is serving her second year of her first term in office as Alderwoman of Ward 2.

Food Fridays

Food Fridays is a program run out of the City of Annapolis’ Office of Community Services. While the program started out helping 10-15 families, that number grew during the pandemic and continues to grow due to the continuing economic struggles. The program now serves 280 families in the City of Annapolis.

Recipients in the program receive a box of food every Friday which typically contains a mix of fresh and non-perishable foods. The food provided comes from the Anne Arundel County Food Bank. The organization is all-volunteer run, which includes people who pack the boxes of food and the drivers who deliver the boxes to recipients’ porches.

Volunteers wanted!

O’Neill and her dedicated group of volunteers meet every Friday at the Pip Moyer Recreation Center to carefully pack boxes and head out on their 16 delivery routes.

“I have two gentleman who volunteer as drivers every Friday on their lunch break.” O’Neill says. Teens enjoy volunteering while earning service learning hours, as well as moms who may have free time during the day while kids are at school.

“I would say that our pantry is a great way for people to get their feet wet getting involved in an organization. It’s easy, fun, and we’ve built a good camaraderie. We are always in need of volunteers,” O’Neill says.

Making a Difference

Food is such a basic necessity of survival, but it is one that may be overlooked by those who have access to plenty of it. One of Food Friday’s recipients is a gentleman who doesn’t read or write, and a Food Friday volunteer found out that the man ate canned beans and hot dogs for every meal because he wasn’t sure how to cook anything else and couldn’t read the instructions. So he became a Food Fridays client and now has a box of food delivered every week. When he opens the box, he calls a friend who walks him through how to prepare and cook what is in the box.

“So we opened up this gentleman’s ability to eat more things; he learned how to prepare rice, pasta, ground meat, and fresh produce. [His friend] went over there and showed him how to cut avocado. To me, that’s kind of life-changing,” O’Neill notes.  

Alderwoman O’Neill wants her constituents to know she is there for them: “I believe that city politics is really at the base level where you’re helping people the most. You might not have the money to make huge changes, but it’s really about the people. I hope people in my ward know they can call me and I will help them.”

To apply for Food Fridays, families need only be city residents and fill out a short form located on the program’s website. No one who has applied has been turned away.

Volunteers are always needed to help Friday packing and distribution go smoothly. Whether volunteers can commit weekly, monthly, or once in awhile, all are welcome! To volunteer, email Alderwoman O’Neill at aldoneill@annapolis.gov.

Food Fridays will also be hosting a Turkey Drive to collect turkeys for families in need for the Thanksgiving holidays. Donations will be accepted in the form of funds to purchase turkeys or donations of turkeys will be accepted the Friday before Thanksgiving. Contact Alderwoman O’Neill for more details.